Scrutinise Indo-US pact in Monsoon session - CPI(M)

New Delhi, July 30: The two-day crucial Polit Bureau meeting of the CPI(M), concluded today with the party pressing for the ''sovereign right'' of the Parliament to ''scrutinise'' the controversial Indo-US deal and joining issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's suggestion for ''wait for the end product'' by September, when the US Congress adopts the relevant law.

''The Polit Bureau therefore press for that the nuclear agreement should be taken up in the monsoon session of Parliament itself. It is no use discussing the matter after the US Congress adopts the relevant law,'' CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told newspersons at the conclusion of the meet.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said in the Rajya Sabha that if the US legislative process led to an ''end product which is not consistent'' with the parameters of the July 18 civilian nuclear agreement that would be a ''determining factor'' and what could he do with it.

Stating that the US Congress and the Senate had changed certain terms and conditions, the CPI(M) leader said, ''This is not a question of a single party.. this is a quesiton of vital national importance.. We must evolve parameters on the basis of which the Parliament express its sentiment, the apprehensions and concerns of the countrymen.'' On persistent queries, Mr Karat said he or his party never used the term ''resolution'' to censure the government...What it had impressed upon the government was that the Sense of Parliament should be expressed so that the parameters of the Agreement are in conformity with India's interests and not subservient to the US benifits.

''We are talking to the Congress and the UPA leadership.. We want a statement agreed upon by all sides in the Parliament,'' Left leader said when asked whether the BJP would be included in the excercise.

''During the NDA regime the Left and the BJP unitedly condemned the US military attack on Iraq.'' The CPI(M) leader, who also quoted former Prime Minister V P Singh and the scientific community's opposition to the deal, said people in the country were asking the legitimate question as to how is that an issue, which concerned the vital interests of India was being discussed threadbare and decisions are taken in the US Congress, while the Indian parliament did not even scrutinise the matter.

When asked about the government's reported threat to the left that if the latter insisted on ''resolution'' censuring the government, that would result into the end of the UPA government, Mr Karat quipped, ''we have not come across any such report.'' To another question pertaining to CPI General Secretary offering three options to thrash out the issue, his response was not that positive.

''We had recently issued a joint statement.. no more on that...,'' he said.

After a recent joint meeting of the left parties, Mr Bardhan, while spelling out that there could be a Parliament statement which was not in the nature of a censure or a No Trust Vote. The first option was the PM's statement after discussion, Secondly, the Lok Sabha Speaker expressing the sense of parliament and thirdly a unanimous statement.

Earlier, Party senior leader and Polit Bureau member M K Pandhe told UNI that the party had also decided to direct all its units to set up the ''Strategic political force'' in each of the four states and the Union Territory, where elections are due next February, to talk to other like minded parties for a joint struggle and campaign.

The Left party, besides discussing about the electoral reforms, also came down heavily on the government for its failure to contain terrorism, runaway inflation, West Asia Crisis, the pending legislations including the Women's Reservation Bill, the Tribal Bill, Unorganised Sector Bill 2004 among other things.

The party Chief Ministers in West Bengal and Kerala - Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and V S Achuthanandan, Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat and Biman Bose were among the other Polit Bureau members who participated in the meet held at the party headquarters- A K Gopallan Bhawan.

Party veterans Jyoti Basu and H S Surjeet could not make it for the meeting, which also insisted that the nuclear agreement should be taken up in the monsoon session of parliament itself.

Answering questions relating to Israeli military attack on Lebonan, Mr Karat sought for ''greater UN intervention'' saying that the US was putting all hurdles in the restoration of peace.

''The US is planning even to deploy the NATO forces there,'' the CPI(M) leader said.

Mr Karat added that the party was also holding discussions with the government on various pending legislations- the Tribals Bill, the Pension Bill among others.

The Party would also launch a national political campaign beginning Tuesday to denounce the government's economic policy and approach on the foreign policy matters. The party will hold as amany as 200 public meetings all over the country, he added.

UNI